Post-feminism

Post-feminism, or postfeminism, is an anti-essentialist philosophy that opposes simplistic gender constructs of binary opposition (i.e., man and woman) in order to explore and identify conceptions of women outside of the mother/whore dichotomy. Post-feminist discourse examines the gradual elimination of another form of binary opposition as well: "feminists" versus "non-feminists". The defactionalization of these once clearly-delineated groups is a result of the success of feminist praxis and activism in making gender inequality a concern of mainstream culture, in Western civilization and in other sociocultural contexts.

Related Topics:
Essentialist - Philosophy - Gender - Binary opposition - Man - Woman - Mother/whore dichotomy - Discourse - Praxis - Activism - Gender inequality - Mainstream - Western civilization - Context

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The term post-feminism does not imply that the era of feminist theory and activism have concluded (victoriously or otherwise). Rather, post-feminism acknowledges that the fractured identity of the individual has changed in the postmodern society, informed by social change predicated in part by feminist infuence; it is a tangential evolution of feminist thought.

Related Topics:
Feminist theory - Identity - Postmodern society - Social change

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The work of Angela Carter (especially her 1977 book The Passion of New Eve) and various "gender-bending" authors—such as Jeanette Winterson, Patricia Duncker, and Judith Butler—exhibit nuances of post-feminist thought.

Related Topics:
Angela Carter - 1977 - The Passion of New Eve - Jeanette Winterson - Patricia Duncker - Judith Butler

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Pornography is often cited as the first post-feminist industry, since it breaks the mother/whore dichotomy, and commoditizes gender and sexuality. Since many people decry pornography as inherently mysogynistic, some may confuse post-feminist politics with misogyny.

Related Topics:
Pornography - Industry - Dichotomy - Commoditizes - Sexuality - Mysogynistic

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